The Chicago Mountaineering Club (CMC) and American Alpine Club Midwest Chapter (AAC) are proud to have Stephen Koch as our guest speaker for the 2010 CMC/ AAC Annual Dinner on Saturday March 6th at the Oak Brook Double Tree, 1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Stephen is a climber, snowboarder, and long- time mountain guide. He survived an avalanche on Mount Owen in Grand Teton National Park that carried him over 2,000 feet! The aftermath left him with a broken back, two badly damaged knees with torn ligaments, cracked ribs, and a night spent at over 9,000' on the snow in only a long underwear shirt and thin pair of pants... His story is one of adventure, survival, and the awesome power of the Mountains!

As always, we'll have our annual raffle, silent auction, and now photo contest, so bring your checkbook to get great gear for a fraction of the price!

Eagle Mtn was cold but fun. I recruited my father to go with me after interest started to wane here on SP. It was just the 2 of us. Not wanting to skimp too much on warmth or comfort and not wanting to weigh him down too much, I opted to pull a 60lb sled with all the camping stuff. It was kind of like Denali without the steep incline.